fieldbio - Assignment Guidelines

Invasive / Exotic Species Research Directions
Direction: As a class we will create a database of information dealing with invasive or exotic species to the United States. Each student will research one invasive species and find the following information about that organism. As you research please be sure to document each source so you may cite them later. Also be sure that your sources are valid. Below is a list of the information you will be researching about your particular organism. Ultimately you will be posting the information you find on our class wiki under the appropriate (underlined) headings.

Use various sources to research the following topics about your invasive species (you may not find all of these, but the more the better):3
1. General Information:

i. Scientific name?
ii. Describe the species:
1. Appearance
2. Size? Weight? Height?

Detailed Description:

i. Life Cycle / Reproduction information
ii. Diet, etc
iii. Why is the organism so successful?
1. Explain in detail how they compete or out compete native species

Habitat and Distribution:

i. Where does this organism live?
ii. Where has this organism spread to?

Impacts:

i. Ecological Impacts?
1. Positive? Explain in detail
2. Negative? Explain in detail
3. Is there hybridization with native species?
ii. Human Impacts:
1. Health impacts?
2. Economic impacts?

History:

i. Where did this organism come from?
ii. How did the species get here?
iii. Where was the first incidence of the species?
iv. What where the environmental conditions there?

Control Measures:

i. Do we actively try to eliminate these species?
ii. Explain how
iii. Costs involved?

Works cited:
1. You must have at least three different sources
2. All resources MUST be cited
3. Format to follow

Discussion Posts:
1. You will be required to make a number of comments to a number of discussion threads that I assign.
2. More on this later